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BETTERTONALRANGE
f the thought of using multiple images or layers to merge scares you,
don’t worry: there are other more simple solutions to enhancing
your images to reveal a far greater tonal range. It’s all down to using
the Shadows and Highlights sliders in editing software, which offer
quick fixes to any images when there’s high-contrast areas.
The best thing about these techniques is, handled correctly, they can
make photos instantly look great, without looking unreal like some OTT
HDRs. Again we’ll show you two options, one using the Adobe Camera
Raw/Lightroom editor, and one using the main workspace available in
Photoshop Elements and Photoshop (and other editing software).3HADOWS (IGHLIGHTS
Use this solution for boosting the tonal range of images
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Lightening shadows, darkening highlights
By simply experimenting with the sliders you can quickly
boost the tonal range of an image to something a little bit
more fitting. We increased the Exposure to +0.40 and
reduced Contrast to -21, and dragged the Highlights
slider to -60 and Shadows slider to +60! We also lifted
the Whites to +20, and dropped Blacks to -18. All these
combined changes have worked to lighten the shadows
and darken the highlights.!&4%2
Boosting cityscapes
This epic cityscape shot was taken at a typical amateur
hour – during the middle of the day when the sun is
high and the shadows are harsh. However, there’s
plenty of detail hidden in the image that you can reveal."%&/ 2 %
A little boosting of the shadows
and highlights was all that was
needed to lift this cityscape shot